(Photo: Rebecca Striffler/WCSN)
Runs were scored in every inning except the ninth, and a back and forth battle ended 10-9 in favor of visiting UNLV over Arizona State Baseball on Tuesday afternoon.
Rebels’ sophomore infielder Edarian Williams’ RBI single in the eighth inning that scored junior first baseman Jack-Thomas Wold gave UNLV the lead and junior right-handed pitcher Conner Woods shut the door at the end of the game to halt ASU’s nine-game winning streak.
The go-ahead hit for the Rebels was preceded by junior catcher Eric Bigani’s game-tying single that scored freshman outfielder Austin Krszcuzuk.
“You can’t walk the leadoff guys,” ASU Head Coach Tracy Smith said postgame. “Both of those guys ended up scoring and that becomes the difference in the game.”
Freshman right-handed pitcher Joe Hauser got the start for ASU and after a three up, three down first inning, ran into trouble in the second. He surrendered back-to-back home runs to Williams and former Sun Devils’ senior outfielder Myles Denson that gave UNLV a quick 2-0 lead.
“Myles is a great kid,” Smith said. “He’s a good ballplayer and I’m happy for him that he’s finding success at UNLV and that he’s playing a lot.”
ASU responded promptly on redshirt senior catcher Sam Ferri’s sac-fly. The Sun Devils would take the lead in the bottom of the third via redshirt junior infielder Drew Swift’s two-run home run and redshirt junior outfielder Hunter Jump racing home on a wild pitch.
The Sun Devils led 6-5 going into the seventh after the teams exchanged runs in the middle innings. But as ASU went to redshirt freshman left-handed pitcher Graham Osman, Osman promptly gave up the lead and then some.
Wold would single home Krszcuzuk to tie the game at six and on an 0-2 pitch while Bigani would drill a two-run triple to give the Rebels an 8-6 lead. ASU redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Brady Corrigan would retire the side with a pair of punch-outs.
ASU’s offense would respond, as it did all game. Redshirt freshman outfielder Joe Lampe’s RBI single scored redshirt freshman outfielder Kai Murphy to make it 8-7 and Swift’s 2-run double regained the lead for the Sun Devils.
“It was good to see us fight back,” Swift said. “We could’ve easily gotten down and tossed it away but everyone had a good offensive approach and I thought we were consistent in having good at bats.”
Postgame, Smith announced that redshirt sophomore left-handed pitcher Erik Tolman would be the third and latest Sun Devil pitcher to undergo season-ending Tommy John Surgery.
“It’s just bad timing for the team and for the kids that have been injured,” Smith said. “There’s nothing we can do to change the situation we are in but we have to find a way to cover 280-300 innings and we feel we have the pieces here to do that.”
Freshman outfielder Kade Higgins echoed his head coach’s sentiment.
“It’s going to be tough,” Higgins said. “I think we will pull together because whenever stuff is thrown at us, we play better.”
The Sun Devils will hit the road to begin Pac-12 Conference play against Oregon in Eugene this weekend.
“It’s nice to go out on the road,” Smith said. “Something like this adds growth and I feel really confident getting on that plane and competing up in Oregon.”
Swift is ready for the grind of a conference schedule.
“You’ve got to be a little sharper when it comes to conference play,” Swift said. “Those small mistakes can turn into big differences in Pac-12 games. If we keep playing fundamental baseball we will keep playing well.”
